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Thanksgiving kitchen gadgets you have to try

These five tools will make your meal prep a snap

CLEVELAND — We found several gadgets that will save you some sweat and time when making that Thanksgiving meal. Something they know all too well at Lucky's Market in Cleveland, where they sell pre-made holiday dinners.

Since they told us mashed potatoes are the number one request they get all year round, we thought Lucky's Culinary Director Maurice Collins would be the perfect person to test out the Starfrit Rotato Electric Peeler

To everyone's surprise, it was a hit!

"I love this," said Collins. "This would help a lot!"

He noted that while curly fries aren't a Thanksgiving staple, the Rotato would make some really good ones.

So, once you've got peeled potatoes, it's time to mash.  That's where the OXO Adjustable Potato Ricer comes in.

Collins wasn't sold on the ricer as a time saver initially...   

"This to me," he says,  "is it's just, you're still going to have to use a masher, a masher or blender." 

But when we pointed out you can put chopped, boiled potatoes in the ricer with the skins on... and that the ricer skins them for you.... he saw the benefit.

"Then yes, you're losing a step. We like this!"

Now if you want to serve dinner on time, your turkey had better have been baking for a few hours. But you can now forget about checking it repeatedly to make sure it hits 165 degrees.

This Thermo Pro Wireless Thermometer lets you set it and forget it.

We liked the fact there's a flexible cable with a probe that stays in the bird in the oven, which is attached to a device that clips on to the handle outside the oven.  That is synched with a gizmo about the size of a smart phone.

"You can take with you while you cook" said Collins.  "And it will go off when it its the set temperature."

So what about the trick of taking the turkey from the pan to the cutting board?

We found the Bon Bon Meat Lifter to be the perfect assist.  The silicone mat with handles goes under the turkey before you cook it.  It also withstands up to 450 degree temps.

"It's simply just lifting it, putting it on the platter, opening it up and your turkey is ready to be carved," Collins beamed.

Ah, but not without pouring on the gravy. If fat isn't your style, try this separator from Williams Sonoma.  We couldn't have found an easier way to do it.

These great gadgets help put the thanks in Thanksgiving. As in thank goodness there's something to help with the giving.

In the first and second week in December, we're testing baking products and items you need for cocktail parties. I'd love for you to send us your recipes for either.  Let us know on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and we'll include those here our website as well.

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